Francis h



(No Model.)

F. H. ROOT. AUTOMATIC GAS EXTINGUISHER.

No. 476,412. Patented June '7, 1892.

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FRANCIS H. ROOT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO GEORGE H. BLISS,

OF SAME PLACE.

AUTOMATIC GAS-EXTINGUISHER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 476,412, dated June 7,1892.

Application filed December 16. 1889. Serial No. 333,987. (No model.)

To all wtont t 71u03/ concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS H. ROOT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in AutomaticGas-Extinguishers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to gas-burncrs provided with means forautomatically cutting 1o off the iiow of gas should the burnerhame beblown out or the usual cock be accidentally opened after the flame hasbeen extinguished.

The objects of my invention are to provide highly-sensitive means notonly for attaining i5 the result aforesaid, but also for permitting theflow of gas to be automatically established by the simple act of holdinga lighted match, taper, or the like in position to light the gas as soonas the saine issues from the zo burner.

To the attainment of the foregoing and other useful ends-such assimplicity, compactness, and thelike-my invention consists in mattershereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents in elevation agas-burnerprovided with my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is asection taken on a vertical central plane 3o through Fig. l with thepipe-section for the usual cock omitted. In this ligure the valve isshown closed. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. l with the valve open.Fig. 4 shows a vertical central section through the burner 3 5 andrepresents another of the various arrangements of valves which can beemployed. In this view the valve is shown closed. Fig. 5 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 4, but shows the valve open. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectionon line 6 6 in 4o Fig. 5.

The burner A can be provided with any suitable tip a and can be attachedas usual or in any suitable way to a supply-pipe provided with anordinary cock B.

In Figs. 2 and 3 I have provided in connection with the burneraspring-controlled checkvalve C, arranged to open against pressure withinthe gas-supply pipe. Said valve is normally held against its seat a' bya spring 5o c and is provided with a stem c', which is subject to themovement of a iicxible diaphragm D. rIhis iiexible diaphragm is subjectto pressure within the pressure-chamber E,

'which contains a body of some volatile liquid and which is providedwith an extension e, arranged to stand in such position that it shall beheated from the burner-dame.

To render the device exceedingly neat and compact, I prefer to arrangethe diaphragm and lower portion of the duid-chamber within 6o the bodyof the burner, which can be chambered, as at a2, for such purpose, andto eX- tend the fluid-chamber upwardly from chamber CL2 in the form of asmall metal tube made of any desired shape in cross-section anda-rranged to stand within the vicinity of the burner-flame. Vith sucharrangement gas can flow through the burner-chamber a2 by providingtherein any suitable arrangement of passage or ports-as, for example, asat a3, 7c Fig. 2.

In the absence of pressure within the pressure-chamber sufficient toovercome the resistance of the valve-spring the valve will remainclosed, and hence the flow of gas through the burner will be cut offregardless of the condition of the cock B, which may be either open orclosed.

In order to permit the flow of gas through the burner, (assuming cock Bto be now open,) 8o it will be necessary to first heat and vaporize theliquid within the pressure-chamber, so as to cause within the latterpressure suiiicient to depress the diaphragm or movable abutment, whichwill in turn depress the valvestem, and thereby open the valve. As soonas the fiow of gas is established it can be lighted by the flame of thematch or taper which has been employed in heating the liquid, and byreason of the position of the extension e of 9o the pressure-chamber theflame used for heat.- ing the liquid therein will while the user is inthe act of thus heating the liquid be in position for lighting the gasthe moment it issues from the burner-tip. Heat from the burner-flamewill keep the fluid heated and vaporized, and thereby maintain withinthe pressure-chamber sufficient pressure to hold the valve open, andhence the gas continues to burn until either the supply has been roo cutoff by closing cock B or the flame blown out or otherwise extinguished.As soon,

however, as the burner-llame has in any way whatsoever been extinguishedthe consequent cooling and condensation of the liquid will reduce thepressure Within its chamber, and hence permit the valve to close, andthereby absolutely prevent iiow of gas th rough the burner untilpressure has again been induced Within the pressure-chamber by againheating the liquid.

In Figs. 4, 5, and G provision is made for automatically closing thevalve by gravity. To such end the check-valve F in said figures isarranged to close upon a seat d in the upper portion of the burner andis provided with a downwardly-projecting stem, which rests upon thediaphragm or movable abutment D. rlhe movable abutment D in this caserises when acted upon by pressure Within the pressure-chamber E, whichsaid chamber, like the one in Figs. 2 and 3, is provided with anupwardlyprojecting extension e. Passages a5 are also provided in saidlast three figures for the tlow of gas from the lower to the upper partof the burner. The valve F can be Weighted in any suitable way-as, forexample, by Weighting its stem, which is herein shown made of sufficientsize to give the valve all needed Weight.

Vhile I prefer the construction shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the foregoingmatters are deemed vsuliicient t-o demonstrate that variousmodifications and arrangements of the device can be made Withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention.

\Vith regard to the kind of liquid employed, I use alcohol or ether orlike liquid, which will not readily freeze and which can be readilyvaporized by heat, and With a liquid of such character the device isrendered as sensitive as may be desired. Thus I find by practical testthat the iiame of asingle match will serve both for heating the liquid,so as to cause the valve to open, and for lighting the gas, which willissue from the burner as soon as the valve has been thus opened. Theextension e of the pressure-chamber can be made of thin metal or othersuitable substance which will readily heat Without burning and isdesirably made comparatively small, so that the liquid therein can bequickly heated and vaporized and also so that it Will quickly cool andcondense after the burner-flame has been extinguished.

IVhat I claim as my invention isl. A gas-burner provided With apressurechamber arranged to extend alongside the burner-flame, a valveWhich is normally closed to prevent the flow of gas from the burner, butopened to establish such flow by an increment of pressure Within thepressure-chamber, and a bodyof volatile liquid contained Within thepressure-chamber and vaporizable to create sufficient pressure to openthe valve by heat from a light held in position to light the gas, thepressure for holding open the valve after the gas has been lighted beingmaintained by heat from the burner-llame acting direct upon thepressure-chamber alongside the flame, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, with agas-burner, of a pressure-chamber containing a body ot' volatile liquidand having an extension e, arranged to stand alongside the burner-flame,a movable abutment subject to pressure Within the pressure-chamber, andavalve normally closed to prevent the tlow of gas from the burner andopened to establish such flow by an in crement of pressure within thepressure-chamber, substantially as described.

FRANCIS Il. ROOT.

\Vitnesses:

CHAs. G. PAGE, ANNIE L. CoATEs.

